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AimlessWanderer
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Makes sense to me, Cheers Al
Cheers Mark. Thanks again for having a proof read of it before I posted it.
Makes sense to me, Cheers Al
Thanks for this write-up especially the part about not making a huge foamy lather. It seems very counter-intuitive for newer shavers like myself. We assume that the more lather we put on that the more protection we will have and lowest risk of irritation but I can see your logic now and you are correct. Also I had not been putting enough water in my lather for a long time and I think its because the YouTube shaving celebrities often are using a dry lather. Also I thought a dryer lather would be "more protective" than a wet, thin lather.
So I had it all backwards. In fact I spoke badly about Proraso Red Tub and had a bad shave with it that gave me really bad neck irritation and a couple of weepers but I will revisit that soap this time being conscious to not over lather.
For over 2 years I was a bowl latherer and the reason why is because I felt that the foamy, voluminous lather I generated in a bowl was superior protection. I was wrong about that as well and have now switched 100% to face lathering and I have to remind myself that a nice thin slick lather is going to look more watery and transparent than what I normally thought a good lather "is supposed to look like". I thought a good protective lather would be consistency of hair moussee but that is not correct.
I completely agree with that Al.
A thick heavy lather may be a benefit to some when starting and learning as they'd be less apt to pay for mistakes made, but at the same time it hinders learning.
I'm not sure I'd want to shave with only water like @Dovo1695 has, water isnt slippery enough for me, but I have no doubt it can be done.
yup YMMV and I would add GWWW ( go with whatever works )Thanks Joncr.
I need to be more consistent in my approach. That much variation would totally wreck my shaves. These days I stick to one soap (MWF) used with a thin lather. A mild razor, and almost any blade, and I'm consistently getting great shaves once I've had a couple or three shaves on that razor/blade to tune in to them. I do have a more aggressive razor, the Parker 22 Interceptor, but that one takes me longer to settle into, so I don't reach for it as often.
Oddly enough, I find it less disruptive to reach for a shavette and use that occasionally, than I do swapping between DE razors.
... think I will try the one razor, one blade, one soap/cream for a week, maybe I can learn more about each of those if I don't change them every day?
Missed that thread when it came out. A whole month! Nothing like jumping straight off into the deep end. Read some of the comments and several mentioned they were learning in the fourth week. So maybe there is a value in going a whole month with the exact same set up. Maybe there should be a thread FFFM.....Fixed Four For the Month ? I am going to try this. Sometimes a set up will start giving me skin issues, so I will pick what seems to always work and see if I can go that long. One Question though, with adjustables, or razors like timeless with various base plates, are you allowed to change the setting or base plate?
I recommend a Fixed Four for A MONTH! A week isn't enough to dial anything in really well, IMO.
A week isn't enough to dial anything in really well, IMO.
nothing ventured - nothing gained, or learnedI agree. A week is a good starter, but you'll learn a lot more during the final week. Especially how long a blade will last.
During my first Fixed Four I used the same Polsilver for the entire 4 weeks, and then went another week on it.
nothing ventured - nothing gained, or learned
decided to try with some of my original setup, EJ 89, Derby blades, MWF, and Aqua Velva aftershave, my original brush is long gone. Will certainly be interesting to see what I can learn. Reading the forums threads comments can be massively educational, and saves quarts of blood.I've been on this forum for just over a year. It's mind boggling how much I've learned in that time and even more surprising to myself how much my shaves have actually improved.
I never would have thought my shaves would ever have been as good as they are.
Once you find your best performing razor, blade, soap and brush then using the same thing for an entire month, or longer, really gives you a chance to learn them all intimately.
Thats when things really start improving.
Derbys have always given me a smooth, irritation free shave, not the closest by a long distance, but whenever my skin feels in need of some TLC I use a Derby blade, have a little over 3 full tucks myself right now. BTW have you tried the Derby Prime blade ? did you notice any difference?Derby Extra were in my first sample pack over a year ago. They're still in my top 3 and I have almost 400 of them now. If I had to pick one blade for the 3 DE's I use, it would be them, but Polsilver is is a very close second.
I dont understand why they work so well for me and so poorly for others, but they are great in my NEW SC, Gillette Regent and Fatip Grande.
Derbys have always given me a smooth, irritation free shave, not the closest by a long distance, but whenever my skin feels in need of some TLC I use a Derby blade, have a little over 3 full tucks myself right now. BTW have you tried the Derby Prime blade ? did you notice any difference?
I started right side mid ear at the base of my side burn and as soon as the razor moved, I knew. That single stroke went right to the bottom of my neck as did all other strokes as I worked my way across my face.
Effortless full length strokes.
Fixed Four rules allow you to use any setting/baseplate you fancy with an adjustable. But you're best choosing your preferred setting/baseplate and sticking with that if you want to improve your technique.One Question though, with adjustables, or razors like timeless with various base plates, are you allowed to change the setting or base plate?
I tend to shave simply, find what seems the most efficient angle and try to stay with it, no changes, no buffing, but maybe I will try that week 3 or week 4All of my Derby blades are the pre 2016 green packs. I havent tried any others.
Using a Derby in my NEW SC with my usual shallow angle gave me a BBS finish that lasted 4-6 hours. Super comfortable and easy on my skin.
Using the same razor with a very steep angle, all comb, the BBS lasted 10 hours. It was still comfortable enough but I felt like I had shaved.
In my Grande its a top pick for a 2 pass+ shave. It doesnt have the edge for buffing first pass ATG comfortably like a Polsilver or Gillette Yellow does.
My usual shave with a Derby in my Grande is one pass WTG/XTG and a steep angle, one pass XTG/ATG with a more neutral angle, then a simple clean up on my neck buffing lightly ATG giving me a BBS finish that lasts as long as any at 10-12 hours, and still a very comfortable shave.
That was actually my first shave with my Grande when I got it.